Team BMC Racing Announces 2012 Giro d'Italia Roster

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Team BMC Racing Announces 2012 Giro d'Italia Roster

Team BMC Racing has revealed its line-up for the Giro d'Italia 2012 which starts in Denmark on May 5. The team will ride to position former Giro d'Italia leader Marco Pinotti high in the overall rankings and to secure stage victories for former World Champion Thor Hushovd.

Team BMC Racing has revealed its line-up for the Giro d'Italia 2012, which starts in Denmark on May 5. The team will ride to position former Giro d'Italia leader Marco Pinotti high in the overall rankings and to secure stage victories for former World Champion Thor Hushovd.

According to Team BMC Racing's president and general manager Jim Ochowicz his team's line-up for the Giro is well-balanced for the challenges that the three-week, 3,476-kilometer race will present to the riders on the roads of Denmark and Italy. Ochowicz has high hopes for BMC Racing's GC captain.

"Marco (Pinotti) will be our team leader, which gives us a chance to look at a top 10 finish overall," Ochowicz said.

Pinotti, who's a five-time Italian national time trial champion, has taken part in the Giro every year since 2005. Earlier this week, he and teammate Taylor Phinney helped secure a team time trial victory for the BMC team in this year's Giro del Trentino. The team also hopes to be on the winner's podium after the 2012 Giro d'Italia's team time trial. In addition to resulting in a stage victory for the team, such a win will also put both Pinotti and the team's lead sprinter Thor Hushovd in GC positions where they will have high hopes of wearing the Maglia Rosa while promoting the BMC brand on the roads of Italy.

"The Giro is always a focus for me," GC captain Pinotti told Roadcycling.com. "My plan is to come with the best possible shape and confirm what I've done so far. It's definitely a hard Giro d'Italia. I'll look for a spot in the top ten and if it doesn't work out, I'll look to do something in the final time trial. Also, the last four or five years there has always been a stage close to where I live and this year that's the case as well. So for me, it's always important when the Giro comes close to my home."

The 95th edition of the Giro d'Italia - or Tour of Italy - begins in Herning and Horsens, Denmark, not far from Hushovd's home country of Norway - a country very dear to him. The 2010 world champion, who has not competed in the Giro since 2007, tells Roadcycling.com his two goals are a stage victory and to wear the leader's jersey for some days.

"I would like to be ready for the prologue to be close in the fight for the pink jersey," Hushovd commented. "The Giro is one of the most beautiful races out there. After the Tour de France, it's the next highest race from my point of view. So I'm really excited to be part of the team which will race there."

Team BMC Racing's Giro roster also includes past U.S. national time trial champion Taylor Phinney and the team has found room for an additional young rider in its Giro line-up.

"Some young riders like Taylor Phinney and Mathias Frank will also get opportunities. Taylor in the time trials and Mathias in the mountain stages. We are also proud to have Alessandro (Ballan) riding his first Giro, particularly with the good condition he has shown since the start of the season."

2008 world champion Ballan has secured third place podium finishes in this year's Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.